I have the pleasure of interviewing Terence West for Fallen Angel Reviews. Hi Terence and welcome, thanks for taking the time to give us the scoop. After perusing your wonderful website, I can’t wait to jump right in and get to know you better.

Best selling author, award winning author, radio personality, not to mention new father! Wow! How do you find the time to write?

It’s a lot harder than it once was. I used to maintain a very rigid writing schedule: home from the radio station, spend a little time with the family, then hit the keyboard at 8pm and write until 2am. Now I find myself sneaking paragraphs at work, in those few moments away from the wife and kids, and writing notes wherever I am. The stories are always brewing in my mind, I just don’t have as much time to put them on the page as I used to. I don’t think my wife believes me, but I’m actually considering retiring.

Where do you find the inspiration for your work?

In the most mundane of places: conversations. It’s amazing how a phrase or idea can lead to a whole story concept. Always watch, and most importantly listen to everything. You never know where it may lead you.

Most people only dream of becoming a successful writer. Now that you have accomplished that is there anything else you dream of doing?

I used to have a list of things I wanted to accomplish by the time I was thirty, and I actually completed much of it. Now that I’m 32, I keep wondering if I should make a new list and start over. Maybe we’ll be listening to my new hit record this time next year? Unlikely, but fun to consider. My main goal in life is to simply be healthier. I suffer from Bipolar Disorder Type I, and I never realized how badly I let it control my life. It’s time I took control of it.

What advice would you give to aspiring authors?

Find your voice, and stick with it. Whether you’re writing about love, lust, aliens, or vampires, you are removing chunks of your soul and stapling them to the page. Writing can be a terrible personal, violating process, but have the strength and courage to see it through. Don’t give up. This is an amazing time we live in. The major publishing houses no longer control all the content we read. Instead, we are given an amazing selection of new voices. It’s literature at its most raw. It’s an amazing time to be a novelist.

Was there any one person or event in your life that finally inspired you to sit down and write your first book?

I wish I had a mentor, or someone who inspired me to be creative, but I really don’t. I wanted to write books simply because. I know that’s a terrible answer, but it’s the truth. I can remember sitting down with my mom’s manual type writer when I was a kid and hammering out poorly conceived detective novels, so it has been a desire of mine for as long as I can recall. But if there is one person who helped me the most, it was my mom. My mother has always been very supportive of her strange, creative son, and for that I am so grateful.

Can you tell us a little about your upcoming works?

I don’t have an exact drop date yet, but my editor Chere and I are to start cleaning up my latest novel in the next few months. “Whispers from the Dead” was written fall of 2008, and is the follow up to “The Brimstone Betrayal.” In it, we discover exactly what made Rose the vampire who she is, how she was turned, and how she came to be in the employ of the Brimstone Syndicate. It’s also a story of the darkness that resides inside all of us, and what we have to do to control it. I’m rather proud of the manuscript, but it takes a character that I had originally envisioned to be much lighter in tone to some profoundly dark places. I’m not sure how well it will be received.

Is there a genre you haven’t written yet that you would like to try? Why?

Westerns. I gave it a shot, but didn’t make it very far. Plus I’m allergic to horses.

Is there anything special that you must have in order to write? Like peace and quiet, music, a favorite teddy bear...

That’s funny! How did you know about Mr. Fuzzy Pants? I was just thinking about an old episode of “Dennis the Menace” (at least I think it was), in which Mr. Wilson had to have a special writing pillow to sit on. Of course Dennis destroys said pillow and hilarity ensues… or something like that. No, I have never had anything that had to exist in order to write. The closest I get is with my music. I can write in silence, or in the middle of a crowd, but I prefer to write with my music rattling the walls. And my musical selections vary wildly according to what I’m writing. Otherwise I’ve found that I can write anywhere.

Who would you like to pen a book with, living or dead?

I don’t think I would actually like to co-write a book with anyone. My creative style tends to be messy, and extremely emotional. I wouldn’t really want to share that process with anyone.

What book is on top of your To Be Read pile?

I’m ashamed to say “Twilight,” by Stephanie Meyer. I’m basically really curious as to what a Mormon Vampire is. And they “glitter?” Weird. I have to know.

If you could become the character in any book, which character would that be? Why?

Most, if not all, of my characters are so terribly flawed emotionally that I don’t think I would enjoy being any of them. I have enough baggage of my own! Still, Rose Webb, the protagonist of the two BRIMSTONE books appeals to me. She’s a badass vampire who does what she wants, but still has morals and guilt. That, I think, makes her a very powerful character. Plus, she’s immortal and can kill anything she wants. Who wouldn’t want that? Still, the honest truth is that all of my characters are me. Each of them inherited my eccentricities and mannerisms, and emotional scars. So in essence, I am all of them.

Is there anything else you would like to share with your fans?

How grateful I am for their continued support. Thank you all for giving me this chance to tell my stories. Thank you. And, of course, thanks to you Dawnie and Fallen Angel Reviews!

Terence, thanks again for an awesome interview. I love when we get a look into the real person behind the storytelling. I was just as engrossed in your answers as I am in your books. It is truly an honor. Fans, you can find Terence West at brimstonesyndicate.com.

Interviewed by: Dawnie